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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22875493">if only i realized how much you mean to me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wow_girl1244/pseuds/Wow_girl1244'>Wow_girl1244</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, also sorry for the akuma, can you tell i do not know how to write akumas and am thinking of sleep, especially alya, everyone loves chat, i have a theory anyone would stand up for chat, ladybug just has a hard time realizing this, love realizations, these kids belong together, why can't these kids be together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:34:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22875493</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wow_girl1244/pseuds/Wow_girl1244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ladybug starts to understand just how much Chat Noir loves her.<br/>Inspired by this BEAUTIFUL piece of art that you have to check out, which is linked in my authors note.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>213</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>if only i realized how much you mean to me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>HI!<br/>I hope you enjoy this story, please leave notes below.<br/>It was inspired by this BEAUTIFUL piece of art that you have to check out https://yunyin.tumblr.com/post/177422636500<br/>Thank you so much for reading this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was in the middle of an Akuma attack.</p><p>Ladybug knew she was about to detransform. Truthfully, the Akuma should have been defeated minutes ago, but she was distracted. She was distracted because she kept looking at Chat Noir, kept watching him as he got hit time after time, as he pushed and pulled her out of the way, as he sacrificed herself over and over again for her sake.</p><p>Maybe she should start earlier.</p><p>A week before this Akuma attack, the class had gotten into a heated discussion over the status of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s relationship. Marinette has been well aware for some time of Chat Noir’s feelings for her, and, if she was being honest, she had been noticing her own feelings for him grow recently. But she couldn’t act on them. She couldn’t, she shouldn’t, she wouldn’t.</p><p>She sighed as Alya vehemently stated that Chat Noir and Ladybug were in love with each other.</p><p>“No,” Adrien sighed, and he sounded so sad that Marinette almost corrected him. She turned and focused her attention on one of the big reasons she would not be with Chat Noir-the other boy she was in love with. “She doesn’t love him. It’s obvious she doesn’t, and why would she?”</p><p>Marinette raised an eyebrow. She loved Adrien, but she would not allow-“What?”</p><p>It wasn’t her who spoke, though, but Alya. “Excuse me, Agreste, but I know you did not say that Ladybug has no reason to love Chat Noir. There are literally a million reasons.” She slammed her hands on the table for effect. “He sacrifices himself constantly for her, he is her partner, and he would die for her.”</p><p>“Well, obviously he would do that, he loves her, but she doesn’t owe him anything because of that, and he shouldn’t expect anything. I’m sure he doesn’t. He doesn’t do any of that to impress her, he does it because he needs to, because it’s her, because he loves her,” Adrien responded, just as passionately.</p><p>Marinette slumped back in her seat as the class quieted. Her face felt flushed, but her head felt clear. “Oh,” she said loudly and the class turned to look at her. She shook her head. “Wow, Adrien. I understand your point, but frankly that only made me love him more.”</p><p>For some reason his face grew red, but it made her understand what she said, and she backtracked. “I mean, not that I do, but like if I was ladybug. I mean not that she would, but why not? Well, just that, like, I totally understand that they could love each other and we don’t know how they feel, but like, if they did, which like-“</p><p>Miss. Bustier walked into the classroom at that moment, and luckily everyone turned to the front, save Alya, who gave Marinette an odd look, and Adrien, who was still blushing and staring with wide-eyes.</p><p>Now, a week later, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. And during their first Akuma attack since that conversation, she didn’t want Chat to get hurt. She noticed when he moved to protect her so she moved to avoid getting hit. It was making Chat grow irritated by how long the battle was taking and that was making her grow irritated.</p><p>She called on her lucky charm and a plan formed in her head. But it would require Chat getting hit. She couldn’t risk that. She didn’t want that. A minute ticked by, then another.</p><p>“Ladybug, what’s going on,” Chat shouted as he threw his staff at the Akuma.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>He gave her a look and barely missed getting hit by a flying slipper. “You know what I mean.”</p><p>“I just, I just-“ she pushed Chat away from another slipper and it hit her, causing her to get thrown off the roof. Chat shouted after her. She swung her yo-yo and managed to land in on her feet in an empty parking lot. Chat followed shortly. “Why did you do that,” he asked. Ladybug knew he was angry because of the tightness of his shoulders and jaw, but this observation led her to conclude that he was also scared-for her. She pushed that away.</p><p>“Why did I save you from being hit? Why do you do that for me, Chat?”</p><p>“It’s not the same!”</p><p>“Yes, it is! You’re my partner! I’m not going to let you take hits for me, and get hurt because of me. I care about you, I need you fighting with me, not for me!”</p><p>He growled in frustration. “Well, I’m not going to stop doing any of that.”</p><p>“Then why would I? You should understand exactly how I feel because we feel the same way ”</p><p>He shook his head. “No, I do it because I love you!”</p><p>“Exactly!”</p><p>They both realized what she said at the same time and then there was silence. Her earrings rang in warning, but they didn’t pay them any attention. The silence wasn’t really silent because the Akuma was still attacking, but all they heard was ragged breathing and thumping hearts and maybe, just maybe, the sound of them both realizing they felt the same way about each other, which sounded a lot like a clap of thunder.</p><p>Chat’s electric eyes entranced her and she didn’t move as he took a step forward. “Do you mean-“</p><p>And at that exact moment an angry pajama bottom and matching top came around the corner. Ladybug’s earrings ran in warning again, and Chat lifted her bridal style before carrying them to safety. They landed in the an empty alleyway, and Chat looked at her, and he really looked at her, and she was so scared, but she let him because she wouldn’t say no to him any longer, she couldn’t do that anymore. She wasn’t sure what would come of this, but she could no longer pretend she didn’t feel what she felt. She couldn’t push him away when all she wanted to do was grab him and kiss him and let him know just how much she loved him.</p><p>She opened her mouth right as she detransformed.</p><p>Then silence filled the space again.</p><p>Marinette looked down for a second then met his gaze again. “I mean it.”</p><p>And Chat smiled and he said, “Marinette.” In that moment she knew that he knew exactly who she saw and he still said her name in a way that ricochet around her bones until it settled into her heart. He still said her name like she was the only thing that mattered, like she was the person he loved, the person he would always love. He still said her name like she was his purpose, like she held his heart in his hands and he trusted her to keep it safe.</p><p>When he kissed her, there was no hesitation, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.</p><p>The Akuma raged on behind her, but all she knew was Chat Noir as he held her and kissed her and loved her. Later they could defeat the Akuma(which they did. Quickly and efficiently so that they could go back to kissing.). Later they could talk about what it meant that he knew her identity(it just meant that Chat Noir loved her even more than he did before, which he said he didn’t understand how that was possible, but it somehow was, which in turn led to more kissing.). Later they could discuss if he should reveal his identity to her(he did, and, again, more kissing ensued.). But for now, Marinette allowed herself to be loved and she loved him right back.</p>
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